Baby bath and dressing aid



NOV- 12, 1958 H. s. HOWARD 3,40%917 BABY BATH AND DRESSING AID Filed Jan. 20. 1966 IN VEN TOR. Han/4e@ J' #0n/4e@ United States Patent O M 3,409,917 BABY BATH AND DRESSING AID Howard S. Howard, 17 Clover Place, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10805 Filed Jan. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 521,780 1 Claim. (Cl. 4-177) The present invention relates generally to a plastic article of manufacture, and more particularly to an improved plastic product which effectively serves the combined function of a bath and of a baby dressing aid.

A product which has considerable utility in the care of an infant is a Bathinette which, as is usually the case, also effectively serves as a dressing table for the infant. Such combination bath and baby dressing aid products as are now available are usually integrated in a supporting structure which maintains the work area of the product at a convenient height for bathing or dressing the baby. In other words, the combined bath an-d baby dressing aid product usually has legs or similar structure as an integral part of the product. As such, this product is not particularly convenient to be used other than in the home or other place where the infant is being cared for. There thus exists a need for a product which can function as a bath and a baby dressing aid and which is convenient to be transported to other locations.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combination bath and baby -dressing aid article of manufacture which is easily carried about, and otherwise handled, and which further is safe to be used in the care of an infant.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a combination bath and baby dressing aid article of manufacture which is economical to produce in that it lends itself to being fabricated of plastic and by mass production techniques.

A bath and baby dressing aid article of manufacture demonstrating features of the present invention is comprised of a pair of superposed plastic panels heat sealed together at least along two concentrically located lines of heat sealing in the respective marginal areas of the panels. The inner line of heat sealing delineates a medial area of the article which effectively serves as a bathing and dressing area for the baby. Between this inner line of heat sealing and the outer heat sealing line there is defined an inflatable outer marginal area about the medial area which is adapted, when inflated, to serve as barrier both to contain water and to prevent falling of the -baby from the medial area. The foregoing plastic article of manufacture that represents a conveniently portable product 'since it occupies little space and has little bulk when not in use. Yet such product is relatively easy to set up in a suitable form which is safe for use with a baby merely by inflating the outer marginal area thereof and placing the same on an appropriate 'supporting structure such as a dresser, table or the like.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. l is an exploded perspective view of the several elements used in the fabrication of the product hereof;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the product, in section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. ,2, but taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1, and illustrating the manner in which a plastic panel with pockets therein is attached to said product;

3,409,917 Patented Nov. 12, 1968 ICC FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the product in a condition preparatory to use;

FIG. 5 is an elevational View, in section taken on line 5 5 of FIG. 4, illustrating the condition of such product preparatory to use but prior to the placement of water or the baby therein; and

FIG. 6 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 5, but taken in section on line 6-6 of FIG. 4 and further showing the condition of such product under the weight of water placed within the medial area thereof.

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein there is shown a plastic article of manufacture, generally designated 10, which serves the combined function of a bath and a baby dressing aid. The article 10 is formed with an outer inflatable marginal area 12 and an inner medial area 14 which, under the Weight of the baby placed therein either for bathing or for dressing, comes to rest against a flat surface of a suitable support 16 which may be a dresser or a table or the like. Thus, the marginal area 12, when inflated with pressure air, serves as a barrier both to contain water W in the area of the article 10 coextensive with the medial area 14 and also to prevent falling of the baby from this central part of the article 10. The article 10 additionally is provided with an attached plastic panel 18 appropriately formed with several pockets 20 therein for storing baby powder and other such products which are used during the bathing or dressing of the baby.

Article 10 is particularly simple in construction and easy to manufacture, being comprised essentially of two heat scalable plastic panels 22 and 24. These panels 22, 24 are attached to each other while in the flat along at least two concentrically located lines of heat sealing 26 and 28, the outer line of heat sealing 26 being more particularly a strip seal and located along the respective peripheral edges of the panels 22 and 24, and the inner line of heat sealing 28 being located along what can be considered the inner edge of the marginal portions of the panels.Thus, the inner line of heat sealing 28 delineates the medial area 14 of the article which, as previously mentioned, effectively serves as a bathing anda dressing area for the baby, and both of the lines of heat sealing 26 and 28 delineate therebetween the inflatable marginal area or ring 12 for the article 10.

An air valve 30 of any conventional construction is appropriately attached to the panel 24 at a location adjacent to the outer line of heat sealing 26` so as to locate this element at a point removed from the bathing and dressing area of the article. An appropriate plastic fixture 32 with an attached tube 34 for draining water from within the article 10 is preferably attached to the medial area 14 at a point adjacent to the inner line of heat se-aling 28 so that this draining structure is not crushed by nor does it cause discomfort to the baby being bathed or dressed within the article 10. The tube 34 is closed or opened as desired by appropriate manipulation of the clamp 36 mounted on the tube. When emptying the article 10 of water it may be necessary at the end of this operation to force the fixture 32, with hand pressure, below the receded level of the water W within the article.

In a preferred embodiment of the article 10, the medial area 14 additionally includes a foam member 38 which, in shape and size, matches the medial area 14 and which, during the manufacture of the article 10, is enclosed between the panels 22 and 24 at the time of the application of the inner line of heat sealing 28. This foam member 38 in an obvious manner adds to the comfort of the baby. Use is also made of the inner line of heat sealing 28 to attach the plastic panel 18 to the article 10 wherein said panel 18 is then merely permitted to hang over the in-flated ring 12 and in this position is within convenient reach of the party attending the baby being bathed or dressed in the article 10.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances sorne features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claim be construed broadly and in a manner consistent With the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

l claim:

1. An article for bathing and dressing infants adapted to be used on a tlat support surface comprising a c0- operating pair of plastic panels of an identical predetermined extent operatively arranged iu facing relation to each other, an internal foam member of a smaller extent than said plastic panels intetrposed therebetween and centered relative to the marginal edges of said plastic panels, an auxiliary plastic panel having pockets formed therein having an operative position extending in a hanging condition over the marginal edge of said article, said auxiliary plastic panel during the manufacture of said article being operatively arranged with an upper edge thereon extending into an area outwardly adjacent the marginal edge of said internal foam member, a closed inner line of heat sealing located outwardly of and about the marginal edge of said internal foam member effective to enclose said foam member between said plastic panels and to secure said upper edge of said auxiliary palstic panel to said article, said closed inner line of heat sealing further delineating said medial area of said article as the bathing and dressing area thereof, a closed outer line of heat sealing joining the free marginal edges of said plastic panels to each other so as to deline an outer inflatable chamber between said plastic panels bounded on opposite sides by said outer and inner lines of heat sealing, a pressure air inlet valve connected to said outer inatable chamber which, when in an inflated condition, effectively serves as a water-containing and safety barrier for said article medial area and raises the outer marginal edge of said medial area into a clearance position with respect to said support surface of said article, and a water outlet valve for said article medial area located along the marginal edge of said medial area and operatively arranged to extend in a depending condition into said clearance between said article and said support surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 505,873 10/1893 Bomgardner 4-113 X 2,781,820 2/1957 Rogers 5-348 X 3.089.153 5/1963 Bosc 5-348 3,155,992 11/1964 Shewmake et al 9-1l.l

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. HAROLD J. GROSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ARTICLE FOR BATHING AND DRESSING INFANTS ADAPTED TO BE USED ON A FLAT SUPPORT SURFACE COMPRISING A COOPERATING PAIR OF PLASTIC PANELS OF AN IDENTICAL PREDETERMINED EXTENT OPERATIVELY ARRANGED IN FACING RALATION TO EACH OTHER, AN INTERNAL FOAM MEMBER OF A SMALLER EXTENT THAN SAID PLASTIC PANELS INTERPOSED THEREBETWEEN AND CENTERED RELATIVE TO THE MARGINAL EDGES OF SAID PLASTIC PANELS, AN AUXILIARY PLASTIC PANEL HAVING POCKETS FORMED THEREIN HAVING AN OPERATIVE POSITION EXTENDING IN A HANGING CONDITION OVER THE MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID ARTICLE, SAID AUXILIARY PLASTIC PANEL DURING THE MANUFACTURE OF SAID ARTICLE BEING OPERATIVELY ARRANGED WITH AN UPPER EDGE THEREON EXTENDING INTO AN AREA OUTWARDLY ADJACENT THE MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID INTERNAL FOAM MEMBER, A CLOSED INNER LINE OF HEAT SEALING LOCATED OUTWARDLY OF AND ABOUT THE MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID INTERNAL FOAM MEMBER EFFECTIVE TO ENCLOSE SAID FOAM MEMBER BETWEEN SAID PLASTIC PANELS AND TO SECURE SAID UPPER EDGE OF SAID AUXILIARY PLASTIC PANEL TO SAID ARTICLE, SAID CLOSED INNER LINE OF HEAT SEALING FURTHER DELINEATING SAID MEDIAL AREA OF SAID ARTICLE AS THE BATHING AND DRESSING AREA THEREOF, A CLOSED OUTER LINE OF HEAT SEALING JOINING THE FREE MARGINAL EDGES OF SAID PLASTIC PANELS TO EACH OTHER SO AS TO DEFINE AN OUTER INFLAT ABLE CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID PLASTIC PANELS BOUNDED ON OPPOSITE SIDES BY SAID OUTER AND INNER LINES OF HEAT SEALING, A PRESSURE AIR INLET VALVE CONNECTED TO SAID OUTER INFLATABLE CHAMBER WHICH, WHEN IN AN INFLATED CONDITION, EFFECTIVELY SERVES AS A WATER-CONTAINING AND SAFETY BARRIER FOR SAID ARTICLE MEDIAL AREA AND RAISES THE OUTER MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID MEDIAL AREA INTO A CLEARANCE POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT SURFACE OF SAID ARTICLE, AND A WATER OUTLET VALVE FOR ARTICLE MEDIAL AREA LOCATED ALONG THE MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID MEDIAL AREA AND OPERATIVELY ARRANGED TO EXTEND IN A DEPENDING CONDITION INTO SAID CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID ARTICLE AND SAID SUPPORT SURFACE. 